JUDICIAL organs in the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) such as the Tax Revenue Appeals Board (TRAB) and the Tax Revenue Appeals Tribunal (TRAT) need to ensure that investor rights are upheld.

President Samia Suluhu Hassan issued this appeal yesterday when addressing senior Judiciary officials at the climax of the annual Law Week, demanding that judicial organs adequately prepare for the implementation of Vision 2050.

Respecting investors’ rights and properly handling tax complaints is vital to avoid scaring away current and potential investors, she stated.

This year’s Law week theme on the importance of solving conflicts through arbitration in promoting the economy and the role of courts and stakeholders’ responsibility was singularly appropriate as it adds to the quest of transforming the country into a prosperous, just, inclusive and self-reliant society.

Gracing the climax of the Law Week in Dodoma which also marked the banning of the new judicial year, the president urged judicial officers to work diligently and not behave like ‘gods and goddesses.’

They have an obligation to serve Tanzanians in accordance with the law, regulations and in line with their oath of adherence, she said, while acknowledging that ongoing reforms in the judicial system have helped improve performance of courts and the dispensation of justice.

Legal services will be of great importance to realise Vision priorities like economic growth through innovation and industrialisation, with a focus on equitable access to opportunities, she stated.

“It will not be a walk in the park in implementing the vision and the judiciary should be ready for it as it is highly involved in different aspects of economy and development,” she stated.

While economic sectors attract investors, those responsible for the dispensation of justice should not be involved in legal engineering that in numerous cases delay investments, she stated.

It was in line with government efforts to ensure that the wider public access legal services and obtain their rights where they are infringed, she stated.

The theme carries a special message to courts and stakeholders on the importance of using arbitration in solving conflicts to promote a sustainable economy, she further asserted.

Chief Justice Prof Ibrahim Juma had earlier said that the Law Week is a time when the judiciary and other law professionals are reminded of the need to fast track cases for improved wellbeing and justice.

Article 107A (2)(d) of the Constitution provides for promoting and developing arbitration in solving conflicts, he said, noting that there are however alternative ways of solving conflicts, including arbitration, mediation, reconciliation and amicable discussions.

Arbitration uses a short time in dealing with conflicts thus makes people have ample time to engage in other productive activities, he said, affirming that the Judiciary is pushing courts to make use of arbitration in solving conflicts as it protects relationships with various social and economic stakeholders.

Boniface Mwabukusi, the Tanzania Law Society (TLS) president, on his part expressed gratitude to the judicial administration for its cooperation, making note of improvements conducted by the Judiciary.

He urged the government to improve benefits for judges and magistrates, enhancing institutional capability in the provision of justice and various legal entitlements.

On a different note, he raised strong objections to remarks in social forums and elsewhere castigating TLS cooperation with the government, that it increasingly becomes ‘toothless’.

“Cooperating with the government is not a sign of puppetry,” he declared. Those who complain that he is too quiet should know that once one is a leader he or she doesn’t make noise but works.